Teix Back To The DL

Cash strongly hinted at it on his conference call yesterday and now it sounds like the Yankees are making it official today.  Via Sweeny Murti, they will put Mark Teixeira back on the DL today for right wrist inflammation and recall Adam Warren from Triple-A to take his spot on the active roster.  Murti also speculates that Zoilo Almonte could be called up in another attempt to find some offense.  After losing Teix's bat again, this wouldn't be a bad move.

If we're following the Jose Bautista path from 2012 with this wrist injury, the initial diagnosis was strike 1.  This setback and return DL trip is strike 2.  Even if Teix comes back from this inflammation to play a few games, it still appears like he's right on track to get strike 3 and season-ending surgery at some point.

Yanks Get Aggressive With Minor League Promotions, But Not Too Aggressive

(Do you, Raffy.  Do you.  Courtesy of MiLB.com)

I have no evidence to back this claim up other than my own memory, but it seems like the Yankees have been on the cautious side recently when it comes to promoting their top prospects.  They didn't rush Jesus Montero, Dellin Betances, or Manny Banuelos, aren't rushing guys like Gary Sanchez and Mason Williams now, and didn't give any indication they were going to be anything but patient with Ty Hensley and Austin Aune.  In the past few days, however, they've executed a small series of Minor League promotions that seem to be coming a bit earlier than usual.  I can't recall there being many promotions for top prospects before the MiL All Star Games in the last few years.  These recent moves could signal a slight change in philosophy when it comes to development and promotion.

How Big Of An Ovation Does Mattingly Get Tonight?

Probably not as big as CM Punk in Chicago - kinda hard to beat that in an open-air baseball stadium that's only a third full when the game starts - but I bet it'll be pretty close tonight when Donnie Baseball returns to Yankee Stadium.  Personally I was a little young to really be a big Don Mattingly fan.  I caught him at the end of his career, when his health had started to betray him and the transition was being made to the Core Four dynasty.  But if you know anything about Yankee history, you know that Mattingly was and is one of the most beloved players in team history.  He was Derek Jeter before Derek Jeter was Derek Jeter.

I could care less about any of the talk about him returning as future manager or coach.  His track record on the coaching side of Major League baseball isn't all that stellar and I think Joe is still the better man for the job.  For nostalgia and fan history's sake though, it will be cool to see Mattingly back in Yankee Stadium tonight.  He'll get a huge reaction from the crowd and he deserves it.

A Batch Of Good Injury News

The bulk of Cash's conference call yesterday afternoon was spent updating the media on the litany of injuries the Yankees are still dealing with.  Outside of his wishy-washy statement on Teix and whether or not his wrist setback will send him back to the DL, it was all pretty positive.  How's that for a change of pace, huh?

Derek Jeter- Has been taking all kinds of batting practice (cage, tee, soft toss) and has started taking groundballs with some lateral movement.

Eduardo Nunez- Started hitting off a tee and taking groundballs again.

Alex Rodriguez- Started running the bases at 75% over the weekend with no issues, and is scheduled to face  live pitching for the first time today in Tampa.

Francisco Cervelli- Has been doing catching and throwing drills but is still at least a week away from starting to swing a bat again.

Curtis Granderson- Scheduled to get the pin removed from his broken hand this Thursday.  Will probably be re-evaluated then to determine next steps.

Previewing The Short Season Leagues: Staten Island

The short season leagues kick off this week in the Minors, bringing the Yankee farm system up to full song for the 2013 season.  In case you missed it, Stacey Gotsulias took a trip to Media Day for the Staten Island Yankees and got to talk to some of their coaches about the upcoming season and I highly recommend you check that out as a way to get up to speed on what's in store for that club this year.  After the jump, there's a quick primer on what and who you should be looking at on the field.

Keeping The Good Ship Yankee Afloat

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

The Yankees picked up a win yesterday afternoon, salvaging a small piece of pride from this West Coast trip and giving themselves something to build on for the next homestand.  As was the case during their recent losing streak, they won in rather frustrating fashion, getting out early and coasting through 8 innings before watching their bullpen aces almost give away a 6-run lead in the 9th.  Had they lost that game we'd be looking at a threat level red meltdown this morning, so it was nice to avoid that.  It's also nice to know that, despite the brutal offensive performance and continued injury problems, the Yanks come home just 2 games back in the loss column in the AL East and tied for the 2nd Wild Card spot.

The "just tread water until the regulars come back" plan has fallen apart rapidly with the return trips to the DL for C-Grand and Kevin Youkilis and Teix's latest setback with his wrist, and now the Yanks are looking at Francisco Cervelli as the new earliest guy back sometime after the All Star Break.  They're going to have to keep trying to find a way to win with the roster as presently constructed, which will be no small task if the last few weeks are any indication.  Here are a few things that need to happen to keep them competitive and in the hunt.

Game 69 Wrap-Up: NYY 6 LAA 5

(Courtesy of the AP)

There was a time when CC Sabathia on the mound during a tough stretch meant things were going to start to turn around.  With the struggles he's had this season, that's no longer nearly the certainty it used to be and that was bad news for the Yankees coming into the game.  Their offense has been laughably bad in the last week plus and there was no reason to have confidence in the lineup's ability to pick up CC should he not have his A-game.  Luckily for them he did, and luckily for him he actually got some run support for a change.

Game Notes:

- Another opportunity was squandered in the top of the 1st after a Brett Gardner leadoff double and Ichiro walk were stranded by the 3-5 hitters.  No excuse for Robinson Cano not putting a ball in play and bringing in at least 1 run.

- Gardner was in the middle of another leadoff rally in the 3rd and this time the Yanks came through on a big 2-out, 3-run homer by Travis Hafner, just his 3rd since May 20th.  Vernon Wells, Lyle Overbay, and Jayson Nix all followed up with hits and the Yanks had a 5-0 lead for CC.

- He made the lead stand up and then some through 5 innings.  His 4-seamer had great life and he worked from ahead in the count consistently to generate a lot of groundball outs.

- The offense went quiet for a while after the 3rd, but they scratched out an extra insurance run in the top of the 8th.  Cano doubled to start the inning, moved to third on a Hafner groundout, and scored on a Wells sac fly to make it 6-0.

- CC continued his excellence through the 8th before running out of gas in the bottom of the 9th.  Excellent outing for him, just what the team needed at a time like this and the type of stopper start we're used to seeing from him.

- Joe went to his bullpen aces after CC and they damn near gagged the game away.  D-Rob gave up a hit and a walk to load the bases before leaving and by the time Mo closed out the game it was 6-5 with the bases still loaded.  Even when they win these days they do it sloppily, but it's better than losing again.

It Ain't Too Hard To Figure Out...

Yankee Offense in April- .261/.330/.432, 120 R, 36 HR, 16-10 Record

Yankee Offense in May- .233/.286/.376, 102 R, 27 HR, 15-13 Record

Yankee Offense in June- .212/.283/.305, 42 R, 8 HR, 6-8 Record

You can't win games if you don't score runs, no matter how good your starting pitching is.  And you can't score runs if you don't hit.  The Yankees haven't hit worth a lick since the start of May.  They haven't hit when they've had good pitching and they haven't hit when they've had bad pitching.  Injuries are certainly a part of it, there's no denying that.  Injuries or no injuries though, a sub-.600 team OPS for the month of June is unacceptable.  Going 3 straight strikeouts with a runner on 3rd and nobody out is unacceptable.  It's time to sack up and start swinging the sticks better.

Evidence Not Adding Up To Good News For Teix (Updated)

(Courtesy of the AP)

We don't know anything about the condition of Mark Teixeira's wrist after he left last night's game early other than the "aggravated" title the team is officially putting on it.  Teix hadn't looked good at the plate this week.  He was just as big a void in the middle of the batting as major slumpers like Vernon Wells or Travis Hafner, and his early exist last night brought many of our concerns about the health of his right wrist into the realm of reality.  He's going to get checked out today by team doctors, but even that does little to inspire hope that the wrist is OK given all the damning evidence surrounding the situation.

Game 68 Wrap-Up: LAA 6 NYY 2

(Don't be bummed, Reid.  You just suck.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and those were the measures Joe took when putting together yesterday's lineup.  He had Travis Hafner on the bench against a right-handed starter and Lyle Overbay in his place at DH.  He had David Adams on the bench after Adams was the only hitter to drive in a run the day before.  He had Thomas Neal starting against a righty and playing the outfield after initially saying Neal was only going to be used as a DH against lefties.  The offensive struggles seem to be getting to Joe just as much as they are the rest of the team, and things only got more desperate when Mark Teixeira left early last night because of his wrist.  Oh, and the losing streak continued.

Game Notes:

- Familiar start to this one.  Yankees went down in order in the first 2 innings at the dish while starter David Phelps was up and down in giving up 3 hits and a solo HR to Erick Aybar to give Anaheim the early lead.

- The offense managed to string a couple hits together with 2 outs in the 3rd to take the lead.  Brett Gardner tripled in Chris Stewart and scored on Jayson Nix's RBI double.  Rare to see a 2-out rally like that these days.

- The lead didn't last long.  Phelps gave it back in the bottom half when he walked Mike Trout and gave up a 2-out RBI single to Albert Pujols.  Phelps also had to wriggle off the hook in the 4th after giving up 2 leadoff hits, but he kept the game at 2-2 through 5.

-Phelps couldn't do it again in the 6th after walking Mark Trumbo to lead off the inning.  Erick Aybar singled him home to regain the lead for the Angels, but a slick 3-6-1 double play turn by David Adams (who entered for Teix) and Reid Brignac ended the threat and the inning.

- Ichiro Suzuki tried to do it on his own in the top of the 7th, getting on with a bunt single and stealing 2nd and 3rd base.  He stayed right there as the hard-hitting trio of Neal, Brignac, and Stewart stranded him with 3 straight strikeouts.

- Shawn Kelley made a mess of things in the bottom of the inning in relief of Phelps, so did Joba in the 8th, and the offense went down with nary a whimper in the late innings.  5th straight loss and another one in pathetic fashion.

Teixeira Leaves Tonight's Game With Wrist Problem

File this as another one in the "Totally Saw This Coming" injury files for the 2013 season.  Mark Teixeira left tonight's game in the 4th inning with an apparent injury/re-injury to his right wrist.  He was replaced by David Adams at first base in the bottom of the inning and during the in-game interview on FOX, Joe Girardi said that Teix didn't "have the snap in his swing" he usually does and that he would give Teix the next couple days off.

There was always a less than 100% chance that the DL stint and extended rest/rehab plan for Teix's injury wouldn't work.  The nature of that tendon sheath injury is to linger, and this setback puts Teix on a similar path that Jose Bautista was on when he suffered the same injury last season.  Save for a few early homers, Teix hadn't been doing much with the bat since coming back at the end of May.  Guess we'll just have to see what the next few days bring.

** UPDATE 9:04 PM- Teix will fly back to New York to be examined by team doctors tomorrow.  That doesn't sound good at all. **

Pineda Strong In His Second Rehab Start

Michael Pineda made his second rehab start yesterday, a simulated game at the team's Tampa complex, and came through it very well.  He pitched the equivalent of 5.2 scoreless innings with just 3 hits and a walk given up and 5 strikeouts.  He threw 74 pitches, a slight increase from his first start, and although I haven't read any reports or tweets on his velocity it's safe to assume it was in that same low-to-mid 90s range it's been for the past few weeks.

There was some talk earlier in the week about this start taking place with Double-A Trenton while High-A had their All Star Game this weekend, but the team decided they wanted this second start to be in a controlled environment.  Pineda didn't report problems with the shoulder, so I expect we'll see him with High-A Tampa or Trenton again this week with a pitch limit around 80.  Another small step in the right direction.

Game 67 Wrap-Up: LAA 5 NYY 2

Same stuff different day for the Yankees last night.  They didn't hit, at all, and they gave up the bulk of their runs with 2 outs.  Another sloppy, lifeless loss as they continue to fall apart at the seams.

Game Notes:

- Andy Pettitte gave up a run in the bottom of the 1st on 3 hits, another in the 4th, another in the 6th, and another in the 7th.  He wasn't sharp at all with 2 strikes and couldn't put guys away when he needed to.

- The Yankees got their runs on a bases loaded, 2-out, 2-run single by David Adams in the 4th.  It was the only inning in which they scored a run.  Naturally.

- The middle of the order got a few hits here and there, none that mattered, and as a team the Yankee lineup was 1-6 with RISP and left 7 on base.  Sigh.

- Chris Bootcheck joined Thomas Neal in making his Yankee debut and he was predictably awful in his 1 inning of work.  Nothing else worth saying about last night.  Just more bad baseball.

Youkilis Back To The DL

Multiple beat writers are tweeting it.  Kevin Youkilis will go back on the DL because of his back, specifically a lumbar strain.  He's been an empty husk of himself since returning to the lineup 2 weeks ago, and this will get David Adams back on the field.  I think somebody around the blogosphere basically predicted that this was going to happen earlier this week.  Oh yeah.  If this isn't the first toll of the bell for Youkilis' career, I don't know what is.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 6/14/13

It's a near riot in Yankeeland right now.  Everybody just losing their shit over the sweep in Oakland and the 17 straight scoreless frame the offense put up yesterday.  I'll be honest, I was shaking my head and throwing out a fair share of mothereffs watching the MLB Gamecast on my computer yesterday, and 2-3 years ago the entirety of this blog's content today would have been cursing everybody and everything.  But when I woke up this morning, I really wasn't all that upset.  I had no desire to write anything about the meaning of yesterday's game other than it was another loss.  I expected Vernon Wells to suck, I expected Ichiro to suck.  I hoped for a rebound from Youkilis and abandoned all that hope the minute he hurt his back.  I expected Hafner to be hurt by now, so the fact that he's not and not producing really doesn't cause me any anger.  When you look at what the offense has/hasn't done this week, and consider everything that went into creating this situation, what else did you expect?

- On Monday, Rob Abruzzese of Bronx Baseball Daily mused on the growing importance of Alex Rodriguez now that Youkilis is starting to look shot.

- On Tuesday, Matt Bove of The Greedy Pinstripes wondered what kind of impact A-Rod is still capable of making when he does return.

- Rich Kaufman of Bronx Pinstripes pointed out the surprising offensive performance from Chris Stewart this season.  It's still not great, but the guy is hitting better than he ever has.

- SG of RLYW used projections and linear weights to put the Yankees' season in perspective.  I doubt anybody will feel better today reading that, but it's good to keep in mind that they've outperformed expectations.

- On Wednesday, SJK of NoMaas showed just how bad the 2 multi-year deals the Yankees did add this offseason look right now.  This probably needs a "NSFW" label after last night's game.

- El duque of It Is High... commented on the crumbling Yankee offense.  He was ahead of the curve I guess.

- Chad Jennings of LoHud got some great quotes from Brett Gardner on his offensive performance this season and his inconsistency on the basepaths.

- On Thursday, Jason Cohen of Pinstriped Bible looked at the huge dip in power from the offense since April and also at the lack of immediate upgrade options.

- On Friday, Mike Axisa of RAB unleashed a rant on the state of the Yankees after their 18-inning loss.  Arguable points aside, I think there's something in there that any and every Yankee fan can relate to and agree with.

- In response to Axisa's rant, Mike Eder of IIATMS/TYA unveiled his way out there possible explanation for the Steinbrenners' recent decisions and offseason execution.  It's out there, but it does make sense.

- William Juliano of The Captain's Blog pondered Hal and Cash's willingness to admit their plan has started to fall apart and go with  a Plan B.  Is there even a Plan B?

- Brian D. of Yankees Fans Unite made his case for trading Hughes and Joba now.  I doubt the Yankees would get anything back that could help them immediately, and that's what they would really need to go through with that plan, but keep an eye on this idea for later in the season.

This afternoon's Friday Jam is "Bloody Knuckles" by High On Fire.  If you're still pissed about last night, throw this on and go hit a heavy bag or something.  You'll feel a little better when it's over.  Maybe.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

Draft Signings Update

It hasn't been touched on here yet because bigger issues keep coming up on the Major League field, but the Yankees have been making good progress signing their 2013 draft picks.  If you've been lagging behind in following the draft signings yourself, here's a quick refresher.

Signed: Eric Jagielo (1st Round- exactly slot value), Michael O'Neill (3rd- exactly slot value), Tyler Wade (4th- exactly slot value), David Palladino (5th- value unknown), John Murphy (6th- $188,300 below slot value), Kendall Coleman (11th), Philip Walby (12th), Cale Coshow (13th), Caleb Smith (14th), Jordan Barnes (15th), Derek Toadvine (22nd), Sam Agnew-Wieland (24th), C Trent Garrison (28th), SS Kevin Cornelius (31) and 2B Hector Crespo (34th)

Unsigned: Aaron Judge (1st), Ian Clarkin (1st), Gosuke Katoh (2nd), Nick Rumbelow (7th), Brandon Thomas (8th), Conner Kendrick (9th), Tyler Webb (10th)

Judge and Clarkin are both expected to sign soon.  Judge took BP with the team in Oakland a few days ago, and it was reported yesterday that Clarkin will take his physical in Tampa next Monday and is expected to sign his deal next week.  Katoh will also be traveling to Tampa next week for his physical and is expected to sign soon thereafter.  Thomas took his physical yesterday and should also sign next week.  I haven't seen anything on the other 3 guys.

I have to imagine Judge will sign for slot value like Jagielo did, and both Katoh (low-ceiling) and Thomas (college senior) are expected to sign for below slot value.  Between that saved money and the chunk saved on Murphy, that should be enough to tack onto Clarkin's bonus to finalize his deal.  All in all, it sounds like a job well done on getting the 3 1st rounders taken care of quickly.

A-Rod Starting To Become A Need

Betcha didn't think you were going to see this old Photoshop again, did you?  Well too damn bad, A-Rod haters.  I know he's still the #1 most hated Yankee in your hearts (with Robbie Cano inexplicably making a pitch for #2), and you'd all probably love to see him retire, get suspended, or just get plain old run out of town with torches and pitchforks like the Frankenstein monster, but the plain fact of the matter is that this team needs Alex Rodriguez and they need him in the worst way.

Game 66 Wrap-Up: OAK 3 NYY 2

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

The lineup started a slump a bit last month, then they got a little shot in the arm when Curtis Granderson returned.  He went back down, they started to struggle again, and they got another little boost when Teix and Youkilis came back.  That boost didn't last very long, because they are mired in another slump and there isn't anybody close to returning to give that boost.  The Yankees, lame duck offense and all, were trying to salvage something from this Oakland series last night, and chances are they were going to need to score more than 3 runs to do it, even with their stopped on the mound.  They didn't.  For a looooooooooooooooong time.  And they lost again in pitifully ugly fashion.

Game Notes:

- Things certainly looked promising for the offense in the top of the 1st.  Brett Gardner led off the game with a double down the line, came home to score 2 batters later on a Robinson Cano 2-run jack, and the Yankees were off and running.

- And then, as they've been apt to do this last week, they tripped and fell over their own feet.  No runs and just 3 hits through the next 6 innings, along with 2 leadoff walks in the 2nd and 4th that were squandered by inning-ending double plays.

- Hiroki Kuroda was plenty good after a couple of down starts.  He had 1 bad inning in the 3rd when he got out of rhythm on a double steal, a walk, and a 2-out RBI double by Seth Smith.  Otherwise he was money.

- By "money," I mean "didn't allow any other hits in the game except for the 3rd inning" money.  He retired the A's in order in every other inning and really had his splitter working down in the zone as an out pitch.  Kuroda gave the Yanks 8 great innings, and with the offense's continued lifelessness the game went to the bullpens and extra innings tied at 2.

Remember This?

"... the commitment to field a championship team is paramount, and that won’t change. Our fans expect that.”

How about this?

“All I can assure the fans is, we’re always going to field a championship-caliber team every single year.”

How's that working out for you, Hal?  Where did "getting absolutely shut down by Jesse Chavez" fall on that championship-caliber team plan?

Diagnosing The Source Of Travis Hafner's Slump

(Courtesy of the AP)

He's managed to fly under the radar for over a month because other players like Vernon Wells and Robinson Cano have been slumping big time too, but Travis Hafner is in a similar production freefall himself.  After last night's 0-fer, he's down to .231/.346/.463 on the season, which is still good for a .350 wOBA that ranks second on the team but a far cry from the high .300s-low .400s value he was holding through his hot start in April.  Hafner missed a handful of games in the middle of April due to a shoulder injury and since he's come back we haven't heard much about any physical problems, yet his production continues to plummet.  What's going on with Pronk that he's become just as much of a black hole in the middle of the lineup as everybody else?  Glad you asked.

Game 65 Wrap-Up: OAK 5 NYY 2

("You wanna get a hit?"  "Nah, fuck that.  How 'bout you?"  "Nah."  Anybody wanna get a hit?"  Courtesy of Getty Images)

Not really much to say right now.  The offense is a complete dead stick out there and they aren't even giving their pitchers a chance to win the game no matter how well or poorly they pitch.  Since shooting their wad with that 6-run inning against Aaron Harang in Seattle they have fallen off the face of the earth and it's one of those rare times where I'm actually happy I don't have to watch the games.

Game Notes:

- Regardless of how bad the offense was last night, and it was bad, Phil Hughes was just as bad.  Another "Bad Phil" start.  He gave up a 2-run homer to Brandon Moss in the 2nd, an RBI double to John Jaso in the 5th, and he failed to make it out of that inning.

- What made the outing worse was Hughes' lack of command.  He walked a season high 5 batters in just 4.1 innings.  Homers, inability to put hitters away, inefficient pitch count.  That's the Phil Hughes Formula.

- Not going to waste any more words than I have to on the offense.  They got shut out through 5, were sat down 11 in a row from the 2nd to the 6th, and scored their runs on a Mark Teixeira sac fly and a Jayson Nix groundball single.

- Tough night for the bullpen.  Joba Chamberlain got knocked around for 2 runs to put the game out of reach in the 8th and Preston Claiborne finally issued his first walk of the season, falling just short of the MLB record in the process.

Defending Robbie Cano

(Courtesy of Corey Sipkin/NY Daily News)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

Pretend it's the start of the 2013-2014 offseason.  The top free agent available is a lefty hitter in his prime who hits for both plus average and plus power and owns a .307/.351/.503 batting line in 9 career seasons.  He plays an up-the-middle defensive position that the Yankees would desperately need to fill and plays it at a plus level.  He's almost universally regarded as the best player at his position, one of the top 10 players in all of baseball, and has been a perennial All Star, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, and MVP candidate for the last 5 seasons.  Oh, and he also fired his agent earlier in the season, the one known for squeezing every last drop he can out of the free agent market, to replace him with a rapper whose ties to New York couldn't be tighter if he was a sidewalk in Times Square.

Homer-Prone CC

(Not the look you want to see.  Courtesy of the AP)

One of the more surprising things to read after last night's game was that CC Sabathia was up to 14 HR allowed on the season.  Even though I've spent plenty of time noticing and writing about how much more hittable he was this year, I honestly didn't realize it was that high.  That's 4th most in MLB and 2 more than resident Yankee "HR Giver Upper" Phil Hughes.

In tying this new trend to the rest of the major CC-centric talking points this season, I think this elevated HR rate (currently a career high 13.9%) can be linked directly to the drop in fastball velocity.  Not only have 7 of the 14 HR allowed come against his 4-seamer, 11 of them have come against right-handed hitters.  They're the guys squaring up CC better this season than ever before, and it makes sense that they'd be doing so against CC's diminished fastball.  Just one more hurdle the big fella has to overcome as he makes the transition away from being a power pitcher.

Mark Montgomery To The DL; I'm Not Surprised (Updated)

While it hasn't been as severe as it was last year, the Yankee farm system has dealt with its share of injury problems again this season.  They added another body to the pile yesterday when, as first reported by Chad Jennings, Mark Montgomery was placed on the Triple-A disabled list.  I haven't seen anything on what body part is the source of the move, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if it was something related to Montgomery's pitching arm.

Montgomery has been sluggish this season, nowhere near the level of dominance he showed in 2011 and 2012.  His K rate is down to 26.7%, the first time he's been below 38% at any level, and he's walked 20 batters in 30 IP.  After throwing up a 1.88/1.33 line in Double-A to end 2012, Montgomery currently sports a 3.00/4.20 line in 2013 and has only 1 clean appearance without a baserunner out of 18 this season.  That appearance, if you wondering, was his first back on April 4th.

The smoking gun in trying to explain this regression could be Montgomery's diminished velocity.  He's reportedly been sitting at 89-90 for most of the season and not the 91-93 he lived at for the last 2 years.  It wouldn't surprise me at all if Montgomery's lost velocity and injury are both related to the heavy workload he took on last year.  Montgomery pitched 64.1 innings at High-A and Double-A last season and then another 10+ in the AZFL.  When he was announced as a selection for that league last year, I questioned the need for him to add more innings to his arm after only 28.1 in 2011 and now I can't help but ask that question again.

Because we don't know the nature of the injury yet, nothing can be said definitively.  But the pieces all add up to somebody who's been overworked and whose performance and health has suffered because of it.  I'd hate to see this become the first in a long line of health problems for Montgomery as a result of overwork.  The Yankee bullpen is in great shape right now, but he was and still is a big part of their future plans after Mo.

** UPDATE 12:10 PM- Mark Newman on what's wrong with Montgomery: "Nothing really."  That doesn't make me feel better. **

Game 64 Wrap-Up: OAK 6 NYY 4

(Courtesy of the AP)

With a more forgiving outfield setup in Oakland, Lyle Overbay was back in right field last night when the Yankees kicked off a series against the A's.  The decision was just as much a statement about Overbay's still-very-important value to this team as it was a statement about Vernon Wells basically being useless.  Wells hasn't hit for a month, to the point that his current offensive numbers are worse than what he put up last season.  The Yankees need to start turning things around offensively, and they had a tough pitcher against whom to try to do that in Bartolo Colon.  He's still going strong in Oakland and outpitched CC Sabathia last night.

Game Notes:

- Top 1st, bases loaded, 1 out, 0 runs from it.  I feel like I've heard this tune before...

- And that familiar sad tune looked like a big problem when CC gave up 2 runs in the first 2 innings.  His fastball velocity was back down to 90-91 and the Oakland hitters weren't fooled by it.  They were timing him up and teeing off.

- CC got the velocity up a tick in the middle innings, but he never found the command of his fastball and it seemed like the rest of his pitches suffered because of it.  He gave up the back-breaking 3-run HR to Derek Norris in the 5th on a poorly-placed curveball.

- It didn't help that the offense was lifeless again after the top of the 1st.  They sprinkled a few baserunners here and there through 7, never more than 1 and never past first base.

- They finally decided to wake up when the game was out of reach in the 8th.  Mark Teixeira hit the third of 3 straight singles to lead off the 8th to plate a run and drove in 2 more in the 9th to make the game respectable.